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Homophobic bullying constitutes a serious threat to adolescent well-being and could be understood as an ecological phenomenon, influenced by diverse school, regional, and community contexts. This study examined geographic variations in the relationship between school characteristics and homophobic bullying. Data from 2244 California schools, including student surveys and administrative records, were combined and analyzed using geographically weighted regression (GWR). Results showed that the associations between school characteristics and general victimization were consistent across geographic areas. However, when it came to homophobic bullying, the relationships with school characteristics varied significantly based on location. Notably, regions with high intolerance, urbanity, large school size, and small student–teacher ratios appeared to offer protection against bullying. Additionally, student socioeconomic status influenced bullying in disadvantaged rural schools with limited Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) presence. Ethnic diversity also played a role, with low diversity or dominance of two ethnic groups linked to higher bullying rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bystanders' helping behaviors are essential to mitigate bullying and its consequences, although bystanders do not always intervene on behalf of those who are victimized. One study (N = 170) tested, experimentally, the impact of different forms of common identities (one-group and dual-identity vs. control) on youth (aged between 12 and 19 years) bystanders' helping behavioral intentions in the context of a common form of bias-based bullying (i.e., homophobic bullying). Results showed that dual-identity triggered more behavioral intentions to help victims of homophobic bullying. Overall, these findings extended previous studies illustrating the potential of common identities to foster bystanders' helping responses to homophobic bullying episodes in the school context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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We conducted a scoping review in accordance with Cochrane guidelines to identify participant and methodological characteristics of qualitative research conducted with young people on LGBTQ + bullying victimization. From 2005 to 2020, we identified 1,579 abstracts, with 141 articles retained for full-text screening and 35 included in the review. Overall, participants (N = 884) were predominantly white (50%), cisgender male (51%), and gay (38%); 14% identified as transgender or gender nonconforming, 13% bisexual, 6% queer or questioning, and 1% asexual. Half of participants identified as ethnic/racial minorities. Most studies (51%) took place in exclusively urban, 17% mixed urban/rural, 3% exclusively rural, and 29% unspecified contexts. Overall, 43% were conducted in the US. Seventeen percent of studies focused exclusively on adolescents under age 18, while 43% excluded this population. Study methodologies included ethnography, grounded theory, phenomenology, and narrative, with nearly one-third unspecified. We outline recommendations for sampling, data collection, and data analysis, researcher self-disclosure, and ethical considerations, for increasing diversity and inclusion in intersectional approaches to LGBTQ + bullying research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Schools are among the most homophobic social contexts, where students who do not conform to gender norms are at high risk of stigma and discrimination. Method: Using a multilevel approach, the aim of the current was to examine whether adolescents' engagement in homophobic bullying behavior was associated with personal values and stereotyped victim-blaming attributions at individual level, and perceptions of school as a community and frequency of teachers' reaction to bullying incidents at classroom level. Data were collected in 2010. The sample consisted of 2718 Italian middle and high school students (53.2% females; mean age = 15.36, SD =.85) from 144 classrooms. Results: Results showed that self-transcendence values reduced the risk of engaging in homophobic bullying, whereas both self-enhancement values and stereotyped victim-blaming attributions were positively associated with homophobic bullying. At classroom level, only negative perceptions of school as a community had a unique positive contribution on homophobic bullying, over and above other individual and contextual factors. Two cross-level interactions were found, indicating that self-transcendence values had a significant effect in decreasing homophobic bullying in classrooms where teacher support was perceived as low, whereas stereotyped victim-blaming attributions had a significant effect in increasing homophobic bullying in classrooms where teacher support was perceived as high. Conclusion: These findings provide further support to the social-ecological perspective as a useful guiding framework for understanding the complexity of factors predicting homophobic bullying. Policy Implications: Efforts should be made to develop clear anti-bullying school policies explicitly dealing with the issue of homophobic bullying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to investigate the relationship between homophobic bullying, parental psychological control and sensation seeking among adolescents and young adults and to examine the mediating role of sensation seeking. The participants included 394 adolescents and young adults aged 15 to 20 years attending the 3rd, 4th and 5th years of two public high schools in Italian cities. Participants completed the Homophobic Bullying Scale, the Dependency—oriented and Achievement—oriented Parental Psychological Control, and the Sensation—Seeking Scale. The results showed that parental psychological control predicted bullying toward gay and lesbian people. However, the two dimensions of sensation seeking (thrill and adventure seeking, and disinhibition) represented two mediators in the relationship between parental psychological control, both achievement and dependency—oriented, and homophobic bullying. Highlights: Psychological parental control may play a key role in the genesis of homophobic bullying during adolescence and young adulthood. Sensation seeking may encourage homophobic bullying in adolescence and young adulthood. Sensation seeking may play a key role in the relationship between parental control and homophobic bullying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bullying is associated with harmful consequences for those who are involved, in particular for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and sexually questioning (LGBQ) adolescents, who are teased for their sexual orientation. Not only LGBQ youth may experience homophobic bullying, but also students who are perceived as not conforming to traditional masculine/feminine gender role expectations. Wrong beliefs, prejudices, and moral disengagement may account for the perpetration of homophobic bullying. The present work aims at investigating whether (boys and girls) heterosexual and LGBQ adolescents were differently involved in homophobic and non-homophobic bullying and victimization and whether biological sex and sexual orientation moderated the relationships between prejudice and moral disengagement and involvement in homophobic bullying and victimization. Participants were 197 adolescents (70 boys, 127 girls), aged 15–18 years (M = 16.32); 46 of them defined themselves as LGBQ people. They responded to questionnaires about bullying and victimization, prejudice against homosexuality, and moral disengagement in situations involving sexual orientation. Results of the univariate analyses pointed to a higher homophobic and non-homophobic victimization among LGBQ adolescents than among their heterosexual counterparts. In the regressions, homophobic bullying was associated with being male and heterosexual, and with moral disengagement, whereas homophobic victimization was related to a low level of prejudice, in particular for LGBQ youths. The findings underscore the importance of examining prejudice and moral disengagement when studying homophobic bullying and victimization and point to the need for developing intervention programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers potential solutions to LGBT bullying in schools, but we recognize that these are not easy solutions nor are they implementable for every school district. It mentions that the article aims at highlighting research which suggests that continuing education and training for K-12 teachers, coupled with the formation and preservation of gay–straight alliances (GSAs) in schools, offers two ways to address LGBT bullying.

Literature on homophobic bullying underlines that many teachers do not intervene in this kind of issue and often underestimate this type of bullying. At the same time, the protective role of teachers’ support for victimized students is well recognized. The present study aims to understand the processes that can lead to teachers’ activation against homophobic bullying. Two hundred and thirteen teachers belonging to different schools in Rome completed an anonymous questionnaire that assessed (a) reactions to homophobic bullying (feeling of powerlessness and positive activations), (b) homophobic attitudes, (c) teachers’ general perceived self-efficacy, and (d) perceived self-efficacy in managing homophobic bullying incidents. We used a structural equation model to test whether self-efficacy, both as a teacher and in managing homophobic bullying incidents, predicts both aspects of teachers’ reactions to homophobic bullying, controlling for homophobic attitudes. We found that lower levels of perceived self-efficacy in managing homophobic bullying incidents and higher levels of homophobic attitudes predict stronger feeling of powerlessness, while higher levels of perceived self-efficacy as a teacher and lower levels of homophobic attitudes predict stronger positive activation toward the victimized student. Theoretical and practical implications are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four post-graduate sport psychology students created and conducted an anti-vilification program for adolescents in sport. The program specifically addressed homophobic bullying in a volleyball organization. In the current article we review homophobic bullying in sport and make recommendations for addressing bullying in sport. We provide an in-depth description of the anti-vilification in sport workshops that were developed for state-level volleyball players. A summary of the participant evaluations of the program is provided and modifications to the workshops are suggested. The context and compliance/recruitment of the participants and the reinforcing role of family and school are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article takes a human rights approach to analysing the phenomenon of school bullying and specifies which international human rights instruments are applicable to this violent problem. The article then moves to a discussion of groups targeted by bullying, focusing on homophobic-, gender-and xenophobic-based bullying as well as bullying linked to special educational needs (disabilities) and socioeconomic status. The second part of the article presents the principles behind bullying interventions through a human rights perspective. Anti-bullying interventions are analysed along with the necessary curricular considerations, including pedagogy didactic principles and evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]